Race, Gender, Tech (2)

Race is like health care policy, it is like foreign policy. It is primarily for the politicians to work on. Gender is the same way. And so in tech I try to talk about the two topics as little as possible. It is not the best arena.

On the other hand group dynamics is the number one thing I bring to the table for work. And there gender is just this outstanding, outstanding topic. And I don't even mean that in a political way. I most certainly don't mean that in a "women and children" way. If I were an astrophysicist, the stars might similarly fascinate me. But I am not one. Gender holds that kind of fascination to me. Race and culture are also grand topics, but gender is out there. Staying fascinated with gender keeps me sharp.

On the other hand microfinance is steeped in social and political realities. If 70% of your customers are going to be women living on a dollar a day, two dollars a day, and, more importantly, subject to some of the crudest forms of sexism, it is plain ostrich behavior to say you can stay neutral to gender talk.

And considering how much more important good governance is to poverty alleviation - it is more important than microfinance - the political intersects with tech entrepreneurship. And I am very much at home.